We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Pezzuti a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Allison, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the decision of whether to donate a percentage of sales to an organization or cause – we’d love to hear the backstory of how you thought through this.

I believe wearing something beautiful is transformative. Natural fibers are able to connect us with a higher vibration, Source, or whatever you want to call it.

With that in mind, for every Pelerine cape, pant, or scarf purchased, someone in crisis will receive a 100% silk Pelerine scarf in our vibrant colors and prints. We are partnering with non-profit organizations wherever we do pop-up events.

The scarves are also available for purchase so you can buy one as a gift for a friend going through a difficult time and could use a little magic.

Allison, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Pelerine was inspired by the iconic women who surrounded me growing up, who wore clothes confidently and beautifully. To me, they were larger-than-life and their clothes so perfectly expressed their personality, conveyed elegance, and commanded respect. That, and a lifelong desire to create a clothing line that makes people feel beautiful and seen.

Pelerine capes are handmade with love and the highest quality natural silk fibers, allowing flow and connection between your inner soul and higher self.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I wanted to create a small-batch, niche clothing brand that makes people feel beautiful and seen. I knew what I wanted it to look like, feel like, what colors I wanted, But I don’t draw, sew, paint, or create digital art. So I used photos — bits and pieces of shapes that I cut out and pieced together to create a design. Then I picked color combinations, types of flowers, and geometric shapes and conveyed my ideas to an artist who worked with me to bring them to life. I found people with their own clothing line and asked them for help connecting with their factory. They served as the middle man because they already had a relationship with the factory. It all came together that way. But for my second collection, I realized I needed to work directly with a manufacturer to learn the process. I used the artwork, that I had purchased, from the first collection and changed the colors for the second collection. I also added pants and scarves. I found a manufacturer through a contact that I met at a fabric trade show and worked with them directly to bring the collection to life. It’s about to launch and I couldn’t be more excited.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Pop-up shops and trunk shows have given me the most exposure to new clients and have helped me grow my business. People love to meet the designer, hear what inspired the brand, and connect. I love connecting with people learning about what they like, and seeing how something I created makes them feel beautiful and seen. That drives my enthusiasm to keep social media going, which also helps the business grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: lovepelerine.com
• Instagram: lovepelerine
• Facebook: lovepelerine

Image Credits
Audrey Snow Owen, Owen Collective www.owencollective.com